Cleared For Takeoff: Ashburton Aviation Museum Expansion Pushes Ahead

Tuesday, 7 October 2025, 5:33 pm
Article: Jonathan Leask - Local Democracy Reporter

Ashburton’s Aviation Museum is receiving a $100,000 “bridging loan” from the council to ensure no delays in completing its hangar extension project. Building committee chairman Owen Moore said they have raised almost $2 million in two years to complete the project. 

The museum is home to one of New Zealand's largest collections of aircraft, with over 40 preserved aircraft, including rare military jets like the Harrier GR3 and Skyhawk. 

“We are the biggest [aircraft] museum in New Zealand now, with the most aircraft on display. 

Maybe not the biggest number, but the most on display,” Moore said. 

The new building, which joins the existing two hangars, is “all locked up and mostly all framed up inside”. 

“We are at the point where we are now starting the reception.” 

The loan application to the council was “more about timing rather than the fact that we don't have the money”. 

The timing issue was that they needed the money immediately to continue work on the project, as various funding grants they are applying for won’t have funds available until the end of the year, he said. 

“We wanted to get some money in the bank to finish, not the whole job, but at least the reception and toilets area.” 

Moore said asking the council for a loan wasn’t the last option, but an option to help them progress the project. 

The council loan means that local contractors on site can continue working on the project, rather than everything grinding to a halt while waiting for funding grant applications to be processed. 

“Hopefully, now we can be finished by Christmas.” 

Mayor Neil Brown said at the meeting that “a little bit of bridging finance to get the job complete” was the council’s small part to play to support a great community initiative. 

Moore had told the councillors that although there was a proposed 20-year term, “we would see that we would have it paid off far sooner than that”. 

Based on Moore’s optimism, the councillors believed that the loan term length only needed to be 10 years. 

Moore said they would be in a position to pay it back within five years, but the additional time gives them some headroom. 

The project is an extension, building a new hangar in between the two existing display hangars to create a bigger space to display the vast array of aircraft and cater to its growing use as an event space. 

It will increase the museum's space from 3000 sqm to 5000 sqm. 

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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